Chihuahua (Smooth Coat) Dog Breed Information

The Smooth Coat Chihuahua is the short-haired variety of the world’s smallest recognised dog breed and one of the most common small dogs in Auckland CBD and Wellington apartment buildings. Dogs NZ registers Smooth and Long Coat as two distinct varieties of the same breed, with an identical standard except for coat. This page covers the Smooth Coat; the Long Coat profile covers the longer-haired variety.

Adults stand 15 to 23 cm at the shoulder and weigh 1.5 to 3 kg. The Smooth coat is single, short and close-lying, and comes in almost every dog colour: fawn, black, chocolate, cream, blue, red, tricolour, brindle. Merle is permitted in some registries but remains controversial under the NZ standard given the documented health risks of merle-to-merle breeding.

Lifespan is 14 to 18 years for a lean, well-bred dog with good dental care. The breed routinely outlives larger dogs by five to seven years. Plan a 16-year time horizon when committing to a Chihuahua puppy.

Personality and behaviour

The Chihuahua bonds harder to one person than almost any other breed in the toy group. Owners describe their Chi as “velcro”: shadowing them from room to room, sleeping under the duvet, sitting on the same shoulder for hours. That intensity of attachment is the breed’s defining trait and the reason owners keep coming back to it.

Around the rest of the household, Chihuahuas are selective. Most accept the primary owner’s partner and immediate family, and many remain reserved or sceptical of visitors and the wider world. Around strangers, the typical adult Chihuahua sits somewhere between cautious and outright defensive. Untrained Chis bark at the door, bark at couriers, bark at any unfamiliar dog passing the building, and a fair share will nip at hands that approach without invitation.

The behavioural surprise to new owners is the willpower. Chihuahuas are not pushovers because they are small. They have strong opinions about routine, food, sleeping spots and which family members count, and they will hold those opinions firmly. Owners who treat the dog like a fragile toy and don’t apply consistent training rules end up with a 2 kg dog running the household, snapping at visitors, and unwilling to tolerate handling.

Around children, the Smooth Coat Chihuahua is a poor match for toddlers. The small frame is fragile, an accidental fall onto a Chi is a trip to the vet, and the breed will defend itself if grabbed. With calm, school-age children who handle small dogs gently, Chihuahuas can do well. Most NZKC-affiliated breeders avoid placing puppies in homes with children under eight.

The bark profile is loud, frequent and easily reinforced. In an Auckland CBD apartment with shared walls, council bark complaints are a real outcome for owners who don’t manage this from puppyhood. Quiet-on-cue training, ignoring nuisance barks and rewarding calm behaviour are the practical fixes.

Care and exercise

Plan on around 30 minutes of exercise a day, split between two short walks and indoor play. The legs are short; an hour-long forced march doesn’t suit the breed. A 15-minute morning walk, a 15-minute evening walk plus zoomies in the lounge meets the daily need easily.

Grooming is minimal for the Smooth Coat, which is the main reason owners pick this variety over the Long Coat. A weekly brush with a soft bristle brush removes loose hair, a bath every four to six weeks is plenty, and there is no professional grooming bill. Nails grow fast on indoor dogs that don’t wear them down on pavement; clip every three to four weeks.

Dental care is the largest ongoing task. Toy-breed jaws crowd teeth, retained baby teeth are common in the breed, and dental disease is the most frequent vet issue across a Chihuahua’s lifetime. Daily tooth brushing slows the build-up. Most adult Chis need annual or biennial scale-and-polish under anaesthetic from age four or five, typically NZ$500-1,000 per visit. Dental cover varies between NZ pet insurers; read the wording before signing.

The dietary watch-out is portion size. A 2 kg adult eats 40 to 70 g of food a day. Treats are easy to over-give. Toy-breed kibble is sized for the small jaw and proportioned for the metabolism.

Use a Y-front harness, never a collar. Tracheal collapse is common in the breed and a single hard pull on a collar can cause damage that takes months to recover from.

Hypoglycaemia is a real puppy risk. Chi puppies under 16 weeks can crash blood sugar within hours if meals are missed, and a wobbly or non-responsive puppy needs a glucose syrup rub on the gums and an immediate vet visit. Frequent small meals and never an empty stomach overnight prevent most cases.

Climate fit across New Zealand

The Chihuahua is the most cold-sensitive of the popular NZ toy breeds. The single short coat does not insulate. Plan for outdoor coats from puppyhood.

• Auckland and Northland. The most natural fit. Mild winters mean a fitted coat is needed only on the coldest mornings. Summers are easy on the breed; the short single coat copes with heat as well as any toy breed. Walk early or late on the worst humid afternoons.
• Wellington. Apartment-friendly but cold-sensitive. The wind chill on a Wellington winter walk cuts through a Chi within five minutes. A fitted insulated coat is non-negotiable for any walk below 10 degrees, and most Chis go straight back to a heated indoor floor afterwards.
• Christchurch and Canterbury. Cold winters require a proper insulated coat for outdoor walks below 8 degrees. Some owners switch to indoor toilet routines (pee pad in a laundry) for the worst weeks of frost. Summers are comfortable.
• Central Otago and Southland. The hardest fit. Long, dry, frosty winters need an insulated coat, a heated dog bed and a realistic indoor toilet plan for the coldest fortnight. Chihuahuas adapt to cold climates indoors but do not thrive in them outdoors. Owners in Wanaka, Queenstown and Invercargill plan their winter routine around the dog, not the other way around.

Where to find a Chihuahua in New Zealand

Three reasonable paths.

1. Registered NZKC breeders. The Dogs NZ breeders directory lists Chihuahua breeders by region, with most clustered in Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch. Expect a 4 to 8 month waitlist and NZ$1,500 to NZ$3,500 per puppy. A reputable breeder will show patella scores for both parents, cardiac clearance, eye certificates, and ideally bile-acid tests. Ask about the parents’ temperament, dental health and lifespan in previous litters. Walk away from breeders selling “teacup” Chihuahuas.
2. Chihuahua and small-breed rescue. Chihuahua Rescue NZ and similar small networks regularly take in surrendered adult Chis, often from owners who underestimated the bark or the bonding. Adoption fees usually run NZ$300-600. An adult Chi whose temperament you can already assess is often a better bet than a puppy lottery.
3. SPCA NZ. Chihuahuas and Chi-cross dogs (Pomchi, Chiweenie, Chug) appear in SPCA centres regularly, especially in Auckland. Adoption includes desexing, vaccination, microchipping and parasite treatment, typically NZ$300-600.

The breed’s popularity makes it a target for unregistered backyard breeding. Trade Me listings without parent photos, “rare colour” merle litters from unverified pairings, and pet shop puppies are all the same risk profile: poorer health screening, higher rates of dental, cardiac and hypoglycaemic problems, and considerably higher lifetime vet bills.

Council registration is required by 12 weeks under the Dog Control Act. The DIA national dog database holds the record; your local council issues the tag and the annual fee. Microchip details flow through the New Zealand Companion Animal Register.